


Cheaper by the Dozen

by sunnygoetze



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha Suh Youngho | Johnny, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, M/M, Omega Lee Taeyong, Post Mpreg, Single Parent Suh Youngho | Johnny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:42:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25869118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnygoetze/pseuds/sunnygoetze
Summary: Taeyong absolutely loved his job. The pay wasn't amazing and he still lived with his best friends from high school but the single dad who dropped and collected his son every Wednesday made it all worth it.alternativelyJohnny has 12 kids and Taeyong is lowkey in love with him
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Moon Taeil/Nakamoto Yuta, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 293





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got Disney Plus a month ago and the amount of times I've watched Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 in that time is unreal. This has been playing on my mind the whole time. It was inspired by the movies in that Johnny has 12 kids but I don't really plan for anything else to be the same

Taeyong absolutely loved his job. Admittedly it wasn’t the best paying or most prestigious, nor was it his dream job since he was a kid. He had wanted to be an elementary school teacher but his grades had taken a dip and Suneung didn’t exactly go to plan. Now, at 25, working as a dance teacher was the best part of his day.

He met Ten in his first year of high school. They had bonded after discovering they were the only male omegas in their class and ended up doing everything together. That’s what led Taeyong to dance. Ten had dragged him along to his classes, not exactly kicking and screaming but not exactly not that either. To say Taeyong was bad is an understatement. His dancing was absolutely brutal. By the sixth class, Ten told him he didn’t have to come anymore but Taeyong was determined. He threw himself into practice, spending extra time at the studio perfecting move after move. He didn’t slow down until he was the best in the class. Well, except for Ten. 

By his last year of high school he was spending all his free time dancing. Admittedly that wasn’t much time. He and Ten would run from school to dance practice to their hagwon. 

Dance, however, was not his downfall.

Being an omega meant heats. Heats meant days of rolling around in your own sweat unless you had someone to spend them with or suppressants. Taeyong had neither and it was just his luck that his heats were excruciating. Suppressants weren’t recommended until you reached full maturation and his parents refused to put him on birth control. Birth control pills weren’t as effective as suppressants but they did help. Taeyong’s family were a little too worried about what the neighbours would think than they were about his education. Therefore, he had to suffer through a week and a half of pain every three months. It seriously cut into his study time.

He may not have his dream job, but he was happy all the same. He was still teaching, and he got to dance as well. The owner of the studio he and Ten attended hired them right out of high school. His main classes were the Parent & Baby/Toddler and the 4-8 year olds, but he had one class of 13 and 14 year olds as well. He taught beginner to intermediate levels in those age groups. It wasn’t much but it was enough.

His older class was great but the young kids were just so much fun! The majority of them had yet to start school. They weren’t yet stressed out of their minds from the pressure of the education system. He was preparing for his intermediate 7-8 year old class when the door swung open. Spinning toward it, he was shocked to see Jisung stumble in. Jisung - the cutest seven year old in the world if you asked Taeyong - was his best student… and an hour early. 

“Teacher Taeyong!” the boy exclaimed. “I’m early today!”

“Yes you are!” Taeyong responded, making sure to match his enthusiasm. 

“Sorry,” another, deeper voice said. Taeyong lifted his head to see Jisung’s father, Johnny Suh, a man he had had limited, but amazing, interactions with. “I got called into work and Sicheng said it would be okay to drop him off.”

“Of course, it’s no problem at all.” Sicheng was Taeyong’s boss and a college friend of Johnny’s. Taeyong was very grateful for this fact. Johnny was hot as fuck, a tall, completely gorgeous alpha, with a faded mating bite that both saddened Taeyong and provided him with a spark of hope, and seeing him on a Wednesday afternoon was the highlight of Taeyong’s week.

“He has his school bag so he can just do homework, he won’t bother you at all.”

“It’s really fine, Mr. Suh.”

“Johnny.”

“Johnny-ssi." Johnny pulled a face at the horrific but Taeyong powered on. "Jisung is more than welcome. If he needs to get his homework done though, we can most certainly do that, right Jisungie?” 

“Teacher Taeyong will help?” Jisung stared up at him in awe. Taeyong nodded, a gleeful smile spreading across his face.

“If you’re sure,” Johnny said, seeming reluctant.

“I’m sure.” Johnny sighed in relief.

“I’ll see you later, Sungie.”

“Bye, Daddy.” Jisung didn’t even look up, already focussed on taking out his school books. Taeyong giggled at the shock on Johnny’s face. 

“I’ll be on time to collect him, promise.” 

“It’s really no problem, Johnny-ssi. But I’ll see you at five then.” 

“Just Johnny, and yeah, see you then.” Taeyong’s heart fluttered at the thought of being so informal. Johnny smiled as he backed out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. 

The hour passed by quickly. Jisung was having trouble with his maths so Taeyong spent his time alternating between helping and finishing set-up. At four, Jisung’s classmates poured through the door. There were 12 in this class. They kept the classes small so the kids didn’t run riot, plus this was the age where a lot of them only started to pick up the sport so there weren't many of them at an intermediate level yet. 

Taeyong called for them all to begin their stretches, pushing Jisung along to join them. The kids were challenging each other to do splits when Ten walked in. He had a slightly older kid with him.

“Hey, is it okay if Jeno stays with you?” Ten asked, gesturing to the child half hidden behind his legs. “His dad won’t be here until five.”

“Oh, sure. Hi Jeno, how are you?”

“Good,” the boy muttered. 

“You wanna dance with us? Or just watch? Either’s okay.”

“I have to do my homework.”

“Oh, well that’s okay too. You can sit over there at the table. It’s gonna be a bit loud though.”

“S’okay.” Jeno shrugged, strolling over to the table. “Thank you, Teacher Taeyong. Thanks Teacher Ten.”

“Thank you so much, Yong. I was gonna stay with him but Kun called and his parents arrived out of the blue so I’ve got to head home.”

“It’s cool, he seems like a good kid.”

“He is! He’s one of my best and he’s so polite, Yong. I’ve legit never met a kid that was more polite. He’s really shy though.”

“Yeah, cute though.”

“So cute!” Taeyong chuckled.

“Have fun with Kun’s parents.” 

“Oh my God, just kill me. They keep asking when we’re gonna have kids.”

“Oof, good luck.” Ten groaned, slumping as he shuffled out of the room.

Ten may have been complaining, but Taeyong would kill to have a mate whose parents were asking when they’d have kids. He loved kids so much and couldn’t wait to have some of his own. While he thought of the kids in his classes as ‘his’ it was just for an hour a week. He wanted the full time gig, even if they would drain his energy, sanity, and bank account. It would be so worth it.

Pushing thoughts of future kids and a future mate aside, Taeyong turned on the speakers.

“Okay class, here we go!”

At five minutes to five, Taeyong turned on the warm down music. The kids simultaneously collapsed onto the ground, completely wiped out. 

“Oh come on, I know you’re tired but you’ve got to stretch or you’ll be all sore! Up you get!” 

It was the same routine every class but Taeyong didn’t mind. He liked the consistency. The kids were predictable in this regard. They came out with some weird stuff sometimes, like the one kid who told him that her 'real mom in true life is a cat', but this was always the same. 

Five on the dot saw the kids’ parents flooding the room. A few of them stopped to talk to Taeyong about their kids’ progress. He happily answered their questions while also keeping an eye out for who the other children were leaving with. These kids had been with him for over a while so he was familiar with all the regulars on drop off and collection. Johnny was the only one who insisted on being on a first name basis. Speaking of Johnny, Jisung was still sitting on the floor with his school bag. Taeyong looked at his watch and saw the hand change to 5:09. He bit at his lip nervously as Jeno made his way over to Jisung and sat down next to him. Besides those whose parents wanted to talk to Taeyong, they were the only ones left. He decided not to worry, Johnny was just running a bit late.

Ten more minutes passed before his studio cleared. Well, almost clear. Jeno and Jisung still sat together in the middle of the floor. Taeyong sighed internally, before making his way over. 

“Teacher Taeyong, Daddy’s late!” Jisung whined. 

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon, Jisung, there’s no need to worry. Do you know where your dad might be Jeno?”

“He had to go to work, that’s why he brought Jisung early and I couldn’t go home.”

Oh.

Taeyong didn’t know Johnny had more than one kid. He tried not to let the shock show on his face.

“Well, do you maybe want to do more homework while you wait?” The boys shrugged. “Okay, well, Jisung you had reading to do right? Why don’t you read it for Jeno?”

“Okay! Listen well, hyung!” God, Taeyong loved that kid.

As Jisung took out his book and began to read to his brother, Taeyong pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled Johnny’s number. It rang, and rang, and rang, and rang out. He tried again. After the fourth attempt he gave up and called Sicheng. He was up in his office but Taeyong didn’t want to interrupt Jisung’s reading and he couldn’t leave the brothers alone.

“Hello?” Sicheng answered, sounding stressed. 

“Hyung, it’s Taeyong. Um, can you come down to my studio? One of the parents hasn’t shown up for collection yet?”

“What? It’s almost half past five! Who is it?” 

“Johnny Suh,” Taeyong muttered, hoping the kids weren’t listening.

“Oh for fuck’s sake Johnny.” Taeyong heard his boss blow out an exasperated breath. “Listen Tae, I’m not at the studio. Jaehyun and Dejun are after catching some kind of bug so I’m on my way to get them from school. I’ll call once I have them and if Johnny isn’t there by then I’ll come get them and bring them home. Will you be okay with them?”

“Oh yeah, I was gonna stay for a bit anyway. They’re just doing their homework, so. I hope your kids are okay though.”

“Yeah, me too. A family wide bug is the last thing I need. Let me know if Johnny shows up, yeah?”

“Okay, see you hyung.” Taeyong ended the call and turned back to the kids. They were both looking at him expectantly. So much for hoping they weren’t listening. “So, you’re gonna stay with me and if your dad isn’t here in a few minutes Sicheng will come get you. You know Sicheng right?”

“Yeah! He’s one of Jaemin and Renjun’s daddies!” Jeno shouted.

“Great, so until then you need to keep doing your homework.” The boys pouted but Taeyong stared back at them with the best dad-like stare he could muster. Somehow, it worked and the boys continued working. Taeyong breathed a sigh of relief. 

He set about tidying up, keeping an ear out for the kids. It wasn’t often that Johnny was late for pick up, in fact Taeyong could hardly think of a single instance where it had happened before. Even then, he was no more than five minutes late, barely noticeable. This was very unlike him. Taeyong tried not to worry but it was difficult as he watched Johnny’s sons reading on his studio floor. Johnny was a single dad, that much Taeyong knew for sure. Who would look after these kids if something had happened? No. He couldn’t think like that. Johnny was fine, he was just running late from work.

“Teacher Taeyong?” a small voice called.

“Yes Jisung?” 

“We’re stuck on this word, can you please help us?”

“Of course I can, sweetie. Why don’t you point it out to me? Ah, I see. How about we try sounding it out hm?”

“Okay! Teacher start!”

“C-c-c-” Taeyong began.

“Co-con-conp-”

“Almost, conf-”

“Conf-conf-confid-confidenk!”

“Um, not exactly. So when you see ‘ce’ together it sounds like an ‘s’,” Taeyong explained.

“Confidence?” Jisung questioned.

“Yeah! That’s right, Jisungie! Well done!”

“Yay!” Jisung jumped up from the ground excitedly. “Jeno hyung, I said it right!” Jeno giggled at his little brother. As they celebrated, the door was thrown open. 

“Daddy!” the boys exclaimed, running towards Johnny, frozen in the doorway. They clung to a leg each, babbling to their father about their day and how excited they were to see him. It was so adorably domestic that Taeyong had to look away, lest he get caught up in unachievable dreams. He busied himself straightening things that were already perfect.

“Taeyong?” Johnny voiced as the kids quieted. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” 

“Sure.”

“Boys get your things and then wait by the door, okay?”

Taeyong led Johnny to the table where Jeno had waited during their class, sensing Johnny’s want for privacy. He hoisted himself up onto the table, leaving the seat for Johnny, and gestured for him to begin.

Johnny took a deep breath before blowing it out. He looked Taeyong in the eyes, then away, then back again.

“I am so sorry, Taeyong.” Taeyong opened his mouth to protest but Johnny cut him off. “Don’t say that it’s okay because it’s not. There was a problem at work and I lost track of time. There’s no excuse for being,” he flicked his eyes down to his watch, “God, 45 minutes late to collect your children.”

“Johnny, I know you don’t believe me but I really don’t mind that you were late. Your kids are angels. They literally just sat quietly and did homework. I was going to be here anyway. I get that you’re upset about being late but I’m not the one who needs an apology, and it looks to me like the people who do have more than forgiven you already.”

“Oh God, I’m such a bad dad.”

“Hey, no, none of that. From what I’ve seen you’re a really great father. Kids pick up on things much more easily than they’re given credit for. Trust me, if they thought you were bad they wouldn’t look at you as though you hung the moon.” Taeyong observed Johnny’s features go from distraught to shocked to touched.

“Well, you’re a lot nicer than Donghyuck’s soccer coach was.”

“Donghyuck?”

“Ah, yeah, he and Jeno are twins. Yuta - that’s Sicheng’s mate - wasn’t very happy that I was late, although soccer finished at 5:15 and I arrived at 5:30 so it wasn’t even as bad.” Johnny explained. Taeyong thought about telling him that Yuta’s kids were sick but he was still stuck on the other bit.

“You have three sons?”

“I have seven.” Taeyong’s eyes widened. “And five daughters.” 

“That’s… You… Twelve?”

“Yeah, I know it’s-”

“That’s amazing!”

“What?”

“It’s kinda like that one American movie, right? I love children, I can’t imagine having so many of my own to love and care for, it must be so wonderful!” Johnny looked dumbstruck. Had Taeyong said something wrong? Maybe you weren’t supposed to tell the man you had a crush on that you want to have lots of kids.

“This… isn’t the reaction I usually get. You’re a lot more accepting of this.”

Taeyong shrugged. “Big families are cool. You’ve got so many people looking out for you and who love you.” Johnny huffed a laugh of disbelief. “Oh! Um, I actually need to talk to you about Jisung, if you don’t have to go now.”

“I could probably stay for a couple more minutes. One of my older boys is out with Donghyuck. Is something wrong?”

“No! It’s the opposite really. Jisung has made a lot of progress and I think he’s ready to move up a class. The only thing is, there’s no advanced class for his age group. He’d first go to the 9-10 year old intermediate class for the teacher to evaluate him and if they think he can handle it he’ll be moved to the advanced class. The kids are older than him but I really do think he has the ability.”

“Wow, he’s really that good?” Taeyong nodded enthusiastically. “I guess I’ll ask him then.” He turned towards his sons. “Jisung, can you come here a second?” Jisung toddled over as quickly as his legs would carry him. “Taeyong says you’re really good at dancing.”

“Really, Teacher Taeyong?” Jisung stared up at him with wide eyes.

“Of course! You’re the best in the class!” Taeyong affirmed.

“Right!” Johnny agreed. “So Taeyong thinks you’re ready to move to the class for older children.”

“Teacher Taeyong too?”

“No, you’d be with Teacher Ten and then maybe Teacher Sicheng,” Taeyong said.

“No! No! Wanna stay with Teacher Taeyong! Teacher Taeyong is the best!” Jisung clung to Taeyong’s leg, his voice getting thicker with each word. Taeyong rubbed the small boy’s back helplessly.

“That’s okay Jisung, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, okay? Teacher just thought it was something you might want to do.” Taeyong bent down, gently prying Jisung’s arms from his leg, until he was at eye level with him. “But do you remember the new word you learned?”

“Confidence,” Jisung muttered, rubbing his eyes.

“That’s right. Do you know what that means?” The boy shook his head. “It means you believe in something or someone, you believe they’re able to achieve something. Like I had confidence in your dad that he’d come and collect you even though he was late. And I have confidence in you that if you move classes you’ll do so well, no matter who your teacher is. You don’t have to decide right now, but you should think about it. Can you do that?”

Jisung nodded, sniffling and pressing closer to his dad. Johnny picked his son up, kissing him lightly on the forehead. When he placed him back down, he ushered him over to his older brother. 

“I’ll talk to him about it,” Johnny assured. Taeyong smiled reassuringly. “This probably isn’t the best time to ask, what with my kid having just cried all over you but if he’s moving classes then I anticipate I’ll be seeing you a lot less. So, would you like to go on a date with me?”

Taeyong’s brain short-circuited. Had Johnny Suh just asked him out? No. Taeyong must’ve heard wrong. No way that had just happened. Johnny was so far out of Taeyong’s league.

“Oh fuck, that was so inappropriate right?” Johnny had vastly misunderstood Taeyong’s silence. “I’m sorry, I’m definitely way too old for you and-”

“No!” Taeyong shouted. “I mean, I’d love to go on a date with you, I just never expected you to ask.”

“Really? You aren’t scared off by the fact that I have twelve children?”

“Not at all.”

“Okay, well, um, Saturday?”

“Saturday is great. I’ll text you.” Taeyong grinned at Johnny, biting lightly at his lip. Johnny smiled back, walking to meet his kids.

“I look forward to it,” he called as he reached the door.

“Bye Teacher Taeyong,” Jeno and Jisung greeted simultaneously. Taeyong waved exuberantly as the door closed behind them. As it clicked shut, Taeyong placed his head in his hands and his mouth opened in a delighted squeal.

Taeyong rushed out of the building, calling Sicheng on his way. He had to get home and tell Ten about this. He didn’t think he’d ever been this excited before. Sure he’d been on dates and been in relationships before but this was Johnny. The most beautiful man Taeyong had ever seen. And he had children! A lot of them, sure, but the more the merrier in Taeyong’s eyes.

Sicheng picked up on the third ring. Taeyong let him know that Johnny had arrived and he was on his way home. His boss thanked him, sounding exhausted. Taeyong wished him luck with the kids, hoping his other children wouldn’t pick it up. Sicheng was mated to two wonderful men, one alpha and one omega, with whom he had seven beautiful children. Taeyong had yet to meet any of them but Sicheng spoke so highly of them, always gushing about his children’s achievements or nice things his mates did for him. Taeyong wanted that. He wanted a mate that would take care of him and children to boast about.

Hopefully, Johnny could be that mate, and Taeyong could rave about his children to other parents as he collected them from school and soccer practice and whatever else they did. If the others were anything like Jisung, Taeyong could only imagine how amazing they were.

As he pulled up outside his apartment block he bid Sicheng goodbye and tried to calm himself down enough to successfully make his way upstairs. It worked for maybe half a flight of stairs, with him bouncing around once more as he approached the door, keys in hand. 

“Ten,” he called as he flung the door open, kicking his shoes off haphazardly and sliding into his slippers. “I have the most wonderful news! You will never guess who asked me on a da-” Taeyong cut himself off as he rounded the kitchen and was faced with Kun’s parents staring angrily at a pissed Kun whose arms were wrapped around a distraught Ten.

“Ah, Taeyong,” Mrs. Qian drawled. “I see you’re still single.” She tapped her neck, where her mating bite lay on full display. Taeyong felt a flush creep up his own bare neck and spread across his cheeks. 

“Mother,” Kun snapped. Taeyong looked confusedly at Ten. He had never seen Kun like this. Usually, his best friend’s mate was calm and collected in the face of adversity. Said adversity often took the form of the alpha’s parents. 

“What?” Mrs. Qian questioned, widening her eyes in fake innocence.

“I think you ought to leave.” She looked affronted. “Now.” She pursed her lips.

“Well, I think we’ll be going then.” She tugged at her mate’s sleeve as she rose from her chair. “You may contact us when you come to your senses.” 

Taeyong blinked in shock. He knew Kun’s parents weren’t exactly thrilled with his choice of mate but he didn’t think they would be so obvious to Ten himself. The apartment was silent but for the clack of Mrs. Qian’s heels against the hardwood. Taeyong didn’t know if the quiet close of the front door was better or worse than if they had slammed it. Going by his face, neither did Kun.

“So, that was tense,” Taeyong stated. Apparently that had been the last straw for Ten as he suddenly burst into tears. “Shit.”

“It’s fine, Taeyong, you didn’t do anything,” Kun assured. “My parents were just being dickheads, as usual.” He pulled Ten closer to his chest and whispered soothingly to him.

“I’ll make tea.”

When they had all settled once more Kun explained what had happened. As Ten returned from work, his in-laws had been questioning his career choice and the fact that they didn’t even have their own apartment. They had blamed Ten completely for this despite, as Kun said, the fact that Kun was barely making more than he had as an intern, i.e. not much. When they noticed Ten had arrived they had been civil. Kun cooked with his mother as Ten showered. Dinner had consisted of his mother bragging about her pretty garden and how it was outperforming all the neighbours, but as Ten started to clean up she had rounded on him. She bombarded him with question after question about children. Ten, naturally, sniped back. Mrs. Qian, upset at Ten’s reaction, had called him a “useless mate, who her son should hurry up and stop playing around with because it’s time to get serious”. 

Taeyong was seething with anger at this point. He had half a mind to run after her and break her face. 

“Can we not talk about this anymore?” Ten pleaded.

“Of course, sweetheart.”

“What were you saying when you came in, Yongie?”

“Oh, uh, I have a date this Saturday.”

“No way! With who?” All previous evidence of dejection left Ten at once. Taeyong chuckled at his friend’s reaction.

“Johnny Suh,” Taeyong confessed.

“What? As in Jeno’s father, Johnny? Oh my God, Taeyong he is a DILF!”

“Um, I’m sitting right here,” Kun protested.

“Sorry, honey, but I’m just being truthful.”

Kun harrumphed, turning away from his mate in false anger. Ten did a full 180, throwing himself at his mate as he apologised and told him he was the only alpha he’d ever consider. Taeyong rolled his eyes at their dramatics. If you saw Ten in public you wouldn’t think he could be this sappy. He was so sassy and witty around other people but in the privacy of their home he just melted.

Taeyong cleared his throat loudly before the mated couple started necking right in front of him.

“Hello? We’re talking about me, remember?”

Ten pried himself from Kun’s chest to glare at Taeyong. “Yes, tell me about the date you’re going on with the hottest 40 year old alive.” 

Kun looked bewildered. “He’s 40? You’re sure about this, Tae?” 

“I’m sure, he’s literally an angel; he’s such a good father and he’s always so sweet to me.” Taeyong's eyes glazed over as he drifted off into dreamland, imagining a life with Johnny and all twelve of his children.

“Taeyong, the date, what’s happening?” Ten demanded.

“Oh. I’m not really sure. We’re doing something on Saturday.” Ten raised a calculated eyebrow. “I said I’d text him.”

“Well what the fuck are you waiting for? Text him!”

“Okay, okay,” Taeyong conceded, removing his phone from his pocket. He bit his lip as he stared at the blank screen. “Um, what should I say?”

“Oh my God, Tae, literally just say ‘hey’ and then take it from there.” 

Taeyong nodded, typing out a quick greeting. He placed his phone face up on the table for the three to gape at. The minutes ticked by without a reply. Ten tapped his fingers against the table in time with the ticking clock above his head. With every second that passed by, Taeyong tried to quell his mounting worry. Had Johnny changed his mind? But he’d seemed kind of excited, like he’d wanted to do this for a while. As Taeyong began to wring his hands Kun took charge. 

“Okay, there’s no use sitting here and staring. He’s got kids, right? He’s probably just making dinner or something. Come on, go shower or something. A watched pot never boils and all that.” Taeyong silently agreed and dragged himself to the shower.

He let the warm water wash all thoughts of Johnny from his mind. Showers, to Taeyong, meant planning for the day to come. Thursdays were one of his busier days. He had parents with their young kids flowing in and out non-stop from 9am until 1pm. He took a half hour lunch, then headed back to his studio to prepare for the afternoon classes. From 2pm to 6pm he trained children from age 4 to 14, changing hourly. Once everyone had left, he gave the studio a quick clean and joined Sicheng to look over paperwork. The last task was a recent development and Taeyong wondered what Sicheng was training him for but he trusted the older man knew what he was doing.

Classes would be pretty low-key the next day. Their next recital was still quite far away so Taeyong usually just focussed on having fun. With a plan of action formulated, he allowed himself to relax. He lathered himself in citrusy shower gel, muscles easing as he massaged the liquid into his skin. He was pretty fit, what with his profession, but on occasion some general aches and pains would arise. After all these years, he was pretty well-equipped to deal with them.

Hair washed, and body thoroughly scrubbed, Taeyong switched the water off. He wrapped a towel around his waist, throwing another on top of his head. Shaking it, he quickly dried his hair enough that it wasn’t dripping all over him, and started his skin care routine. 

He emerged from the bathroom minutes later, fully dressed with a sheet mask draped across his features. He screamed in surprise as Ten popped out in front of him.

“He texted back!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Date time!! Not entirely happy with the date scene but I've edited it like 15 times so we're just gonna roll with it.
> 
> Just fyi all ages are in international age because I have like 3 docs to try and keep track of everything and didn't wanna get any more confused lol.

Taeyong passed through the next couple of days in a delighted haze. He wouldn’t let anything phase him, not even the child who’d projectile vomited all over the studio halfway through his lesson. Johnny texted him almost constantly, planning for their date and openly flirting all the while. He was proving to be an exceptional match; their sense of humours matched perfectly, leaving them to banter back and forth for hours.

Ten now spent his evenings stealing Taeyong’s phone to call incoming messages out and type the reply Taeyong came up with while Taeyong and Kun made dinner. A well thought out system, if you asked Ten. They didn’t, but Ten being Ten, he made sure to remind them anyway.

Saturday at four (exactly three hours before they had agreed Johnny would pick him up) Ten shoved Taeyong into the shower with a promise to iron his shirt if he wasn’t out in the next half hour. That spurred him on greatly. Ten with a hot iron was not something he wanted to be exposed to.

Once Taeyong emerged, Ten had his way with him. He forced Taeyong into a chair to apply some makeup and style his hair. The process ended up taking an hour and a half because Ten kept changing his mind. Kun had given up about fifteen minutes in and left to hang out with some college friends. Taeyong got stern the sixth time Ten thought up a new concept and immediately vetoed his “sexy seducter” idea. This was a first date with a guy he really liked, not just an opportunity to get laid.

He spent the last hour curled up on the sofa with Ten, the tv playing softly in the background as the younger hyped him up. 

“You’ve got this Yong! Just look at you, he’ll think he’s died because you’re so beautiful.”

“Ten,” Taeyong whined, embarrassed. “Don’t be so hyperbolic.”

“That’s a big word for a Saturday night,” the younger joked, a glint in his eye.

Taeyong opened his mouth to snap back at him but was interrupted by the buzzer and Ten’s squeal. Ten scrambled up from the sofa but like hell Taeyong was letting that happen. He vaulted himself over the back and raced to the intercom.

“Hello?” he called, having narrowly beat Ten.

“Oh, hey, Taeyong? It’s Johnny,” Johnny’s voice crackled through.

“Hey, I’ll be right down.” 

“Yong,” Ten groaned. Taeyong removed his hand from the button before Johnny could hear anything further. “You suck, I can’t believe I got you looking all pretty and you won’t even invite him up.”

“As if I’d let you embarrass me.” 

Ten mock-gasped. “Me?! Embarrass you?! I would never!”

Taeyong raised his eyes to heaven as he slipped on his shoes.

“Good luck, Yongie,” Ten sang as he exited. Taeyong flipped him off.

Taeyong smoothed out his shirt, taking a deep breath, as he exited the building. Johnny was leaning against the building in black slacks, a turtleneck, and a brown trench coat. His brown hair looked as though it had been styled but subsequently attacked by one of his children. It fell softly over his forehead, curling cutely upon the frame of his circular glasses. He looked every bit like a well-admired and sought-after actor/model. He looked gorgeous. 

Johnny glanced up as Taeyong let the door fall shut. A smile slowly spread across his face as he took the younger man in. Taeyong froze as he waited for the verdict. Johnny kicked off the wall and strolled towards him. Taeyong felt his head tip back ever so slightly with every step his date took. 

“Hi,” Johnny said, stopping two paces away from him.

“Hi,” Taeyong returned.

“You look really, really beautiful.” There was no doubt in his voice, no lie, no misconception. Oh God, Taeyong’s cheeks were definitely burning. “I must’ve done something really good in my past life to get this lucky.” How could he just say things like that with so much confidence? 

He hated to admit it, but Taeyong was a massive romantic. He’d always dreamed of having a fairytale romance. Johnny’s sweet words had his insides twisting and dancing in glee. He was sure his face must be a constant shade of pink in the older man’s presence. 

"Y-you also look amazing," Taeyong stuttered. Johnny immediately beamed at him, reaching his hand out for Taeyong to take.

"Shall we?" 

Taeyong took a deep breath, and took Johnny's hand. 

The restaurant Johnny chose was casual. The prices were actually printed on the menu and they didn't make Taeyong's eyes pop out of his head, a genuine fear for someone on his salary who really ought to not spend as much as he did on gaming. He couldn't help it, animal crossing was just too good! Once he bought his Switch he had figured he might as well get a few more games. Kun had become obsessed and they'd all split the cost of a console for the apartment and even more games. All this before he even factored in his PC games. He should really learn to budget better.

Johnny was being a proper gentleman. He helped Taeyong with his coat, pulled out the seat for him, and had yet to take his eyes off the younger once. As they settled, menus in hand, Taeyong struck up conversation.

"So, are you from Seoul?"

"Nah," Johnny said, shaking his head, "I'm American. Chicago."

"Oh wow, that's a long way away."

"Yeah, I moved over during high school though so I don't miss it as much anymore. My parents are still there, which is kind of hard. They're getting older now so I'm a little worried." Johnny's eyes saddened at the mention of his parents. Taeyong smiled sympathetically, reaching across to squeeze the older man's hand. Johnny matched Taeyong's smile. "Anyway, what about you? You from Seoul?"

"Yeah, I've lived here my whole life. I've never even left the country." Johnny raised his eyebrows.

"I'm surprised Ten hasn't brought you home. Sicheng said you live together."

Taeyong nodded. "Us and Ten's mate. We were going to go during high school but we got busy and now we work together, so... I don't really want to leave Sicheng down two of us."

Johnny hummed in understanding. "Yeah, he'd probably stress if two of his best employees left at once." He smirked as Taeyong let out a panicked shriek of laughter at the compliment. That wasn't good. Ten called that his 'panicked gay laugh'.

“Tell me about your kids?” Taeyong suggested.

“I don’t know if this is really a first date conversation,” Johnny hesitated.

“Please,” Taeyong pleaded, pouting. “I’d like to hear.”

Johnny huffed a laugh. “Okay but buckle up, this could take a while.” Taeyong mimed putting on a seatbelt, a smile playing on his lips. “Ready?” The younger man nodded. “Okay.

“Irene and Seulgi are the eldest, they’ll be 19 at the end of the month. They’ve just started university at SNU. Irene is studying veterinary medicine and Seulgi is studying painting in the Fine Arts department.

Next is Krystal and Doyoung, 17. Jungwoo is 16. Those three are in high school. Jungwoo is the youngest to have presented. They’re all alphas, except for Doyoungie; he’s an omega. He only presented recently. Jungwoo teases him that they were born in the wrong order.” Taeyong marvelled at how Johnny’s fond grin grew wider the more he spoke.

“Joy is 14 but she’ll be 15 in September. Then two more sets of twins, Lucas and Yeri who are 13, and Jeno and Donghyuck will be 11 in April. They’re all really into sport. Joy and Yeri are both on the school volleyball team, Lucas plays basketball, and - as you know - Jeno dances, and Donghyuck plays soccer. 

Chenle is next, he’s 8 and won’t be 9 until November. He loves singing and performing. He goes to a drama school on Sundays with one of Sicheng’s kids. Jisungie is my baby, he’s 7 and this is his first year of school.”

“Wow,” Taeyong said, blinking rapidly as he tried to absorb all that information and sort everything into the right area. “So it’s Irene, Seulgi, Krystal, Doyoung, Jungwoo, Joy, Yeri, Lucas, Jeno, Donghyuck, Chenle, and Jisung?”

“Well, technically Lucas is before Yeri but they’re only two minutes apart so it’s no big deal. Yeri would probably be delighted if she heard you say that actually.”

Taeyong, slightly embarrassed, looked back down at his menu.

“Hey, it’s really okay. It’s a lot to remember. I have so many reminders in my phone for birthdays so I don’t forget.” He smiled reassuringly, drawing a matching grin from Taeyong.

A waitress approached them then. They rattled off their orders quickly, having already made polite small talk when they’d first arrived. No sooner than she had come over, she was gone again, and Taeyong turned back to Johnny. 

“It must be difficult. Keeping track of who has to be where, on what day, and at what time that is.”

“Once I get into the routine it’s okay, but before that is a nightmare. Plus they tend to either overlap when they’re in two completely different places, and then when they’re in the same place I feel like I’m coming and going every two minutes.”

“Like dance?”

“Like dance.”

“You know, if it makes it easier, I’m sure Sicheng wouldn’t mind you dropping Jisung off with Jeno, and collecting them both after Jisung’s class.”

“I couldn’t do that.”

“Johnny, you have literally got the sweetest children I’ve ever met. Ten would be fine with Jisung sitting and watching or doing his homework and I have no problem with Jeno doing the same.”

“It would make things a lot easier… Okay, I’ll check with Sicheng first though! I don’t want to get you into trouble.” Taeyong’s eyes somehow softened as if he hadn’t already melted into a puddle from Johnny’s sweetness.

“I’m glad.”

*

Conversation flowed easily as they waited for their meal. Taeyong explained how he’d gotten (been forced) into dance while Johnny told him all about the wonderful world of starting your own business while raising a hoard of kids. He, his cousin, and his cousin’s mate had started Neo Culture Technology when they were fresh out of college. Johnny had already had two kids at the time and the next two weren’t far behind. It had been difficult, extremely difficult. But they had gotten through it and eventually moved from Sehun and Junmyeon’s house to an office building and kept expanding from there.

The company wasn’t amazingly big, but it had grown quickly once they’d gotten past the first hurdle. The growth meant more employees and allowed Johnny to take a step back and spend more time with his children. Something he had needed when he lost his mate. 

Johnny didn’t speak much about Jisoo. He didn’t go into details but Taeyong had almost cried from the barest of descriptions. Johnny had of course taken notice and apologised for bringing up such a heavy subject so early on. Taeyong protested, attesting how glad he was that the older man felt as though he could open up to him, despite it being their first date.

They switched topics pretty quickly after that and were laughing throughout the meal and after.

By the time Johnny was dropping Taeyong back home it felt like he was walking on air. He had boldly laced his fingers through Johnny’s. The older man had tried to play it off by giving a gentle squeeze but Taeyong could see the hint of red on his ears. He bit his lip to stop himself from smiling, glad that he could make Johnny even a fraction of how flustered he felt at any given moment in Johnny’s presence, but not wanting him to feel embarrassed. 

“I had a really good time,” Taeyong stated as they reached the door to his building.

“Me too. It’s… been a while since I was on a first date but I enjoyed it. A lot.” Taeyong tightened his grip on Johnny’s hand before letting it fall.

“I should probably go inside then.”

“I guess so.” Then “I’d like to see you again. Like this. Not just in general. Well, also in general but-”

“I’d like a second date too.”

“Great!” Johnny looked relieved to have been interrupted. “Chenle has a play on Saturday but I can do Friday.”

“Friday’s great!” Taeyong assured, nodding enthusiastically.

“I’ll see you Friday then. I’ll text you to iron out the details.”

“Yeah, cool. I’ll be going first then.” Taeyong turned to open the door but thinking better of it spun back and placed the tiniest of pecks on Johnny’s cheek. “Bye,” he squeaked. He rushed inside the door of the apartment building, not stopping to see Johnny’s reaction, and shut it behind him.

In his newfound privacy, he leaned back against the door and brought a tentative hand to his lips. Johnny’s cheek had been slightly rough, clearly having been shaved long enough ago that the lightest of stubble had grown back. The light scratch left Taeyong’s lips tingling. He closed his eyes and remembered the night. Remembered each of Johnny’s expressions. Remembered each of his words. Remembered each of his gestures.

He was pulled from his reverie by two sets of footsteps falling down the stairs. Clearing his throat, he pushed off the door and began to walk to the elevator. Really he shouldn’t have been surprised to see Ten and Kun burst out from the stairwell but a little scream forced its way out nonetheless.

“Were you watching me?” he exclaimed.

“Of course!” Ten blinked owlishly, questioning how Taeyong could ever doubt his spying capabilities. “Come, you must tell us everything.” He gripped Taeyong and Kun by the hand and pulled up the stairs.

“Could we not have taken the elevator?” Kun protested, breathing harshly. “Coming down the stairs is one thing, but going up? Really Tennie, was there any need?”

“The faster we get there, the faster we hear about Yongie’s date!”

“We won’t get there very fast if I collapse right here,” Kun muttered. 

“Then stop using your breath for talking and follow along.”

Kun grumbled under said breath, Taeyong cackling at his exasperated affection.

“Now,” Ten proclaimed, shoving Taeyong and Kun onto the sofa before taking up residence on the coffee table. “Tell me everything.”

“It was amazing! We went to this really good restaurant and we just talked and talked. “We’re going out again on Friday.”

“Friday coming?” Kun questioned.

“Yeah, why?”

Kun looked confusedly at Ten, who fixed his gaze on the floor.

“What’s going on?”

“Ten and I managed to book some cheap flights. We’re going to Thailand on Friday.”

“Oh. That’s exciting! When… when did you book it?”

“Wednesday,” Ten muttered. “I was gonna tell you Yongie but then Kun’s parents came over and you were so excited for your date. It just slipped my mind and I didn’t want to ruin your good mood.”

“I mean, it’s not a big deal, Ten. You’re just going home for a bit.”

“Well yeah, but we always said that the next time I went home you’d come too,” Ten whined, face flooded with guilt.

“It’s really okay. I don’t mind. Plus. now I’ve got a hot date to keep me occupied,” Taeyong joked. Ten’s mouth tilted up slightly at the corners.

“It’s really okay?” 

“More than okay.”

“Good, now tell me more about Johnny.” Ten threw himself onto the middle of the sofa, cuddling in between his mate and his best friend. Taeyong threw his eyes up to heaven, but told them every detail. By the end, he’d been smiling so long he didn’t think he could ever stop.

As he lay in bed that night, he was greeted with a text from Johnny.

"Next time," it said. "I hope you wait long enough for me to kiss you back."

*

When Taeyong pictured his fairytale romance he never expected to be playing the role of evil stepmother. But it seemed as though he’d fallen into the role when he met Jisung at dance practice that week. Johnny hadn’t told his kids exactly who it was he’d gone on a date with, but they all knew he’d gone out. Taeyong should have known there’d be consequences. It was too good to be true. 

“Teacher Taeyong?” Jisung sniffled, rubbing wearily at his eyes.

“Jisungie? Is everything okay?” Everything was not okay judging by how Jisung immediately burst into tears. “Oh hey, shhh, it’s alright, you’re alright.” Taeyong glanced at the rest of the class, their faces a mixture of worried, confused, and a little bit scared. He looked around frantically for a solution, finding Jeno sitting quietly in the corner. “Jeno, can you run across the hall and get Teacher Ten?” 

The eldest child nodded, scurrying out of the room. Taeyong bent down so he was eye-level with Jisung and whispered soothingly to him, periodically calling out reassurances to the rest of the class. Moments later, Jeno dragged Ten into the room.

“Oh Tennie, thank goodness. Can you entertain them for a couple minutes? I’ll be back asap.” Ten pursed his lips judgingly but agreed. Taeyong threw his arms around the other omega in a brief hug before ushering Jisung out to the hall.

Jisung was still bawling, tears and snot running down his face. Taeyong cooed and shushed in an effort to calm him.

“Jisung, what happened?”

“Dad-Daddy went on a d-d-date!” Jisung stuttered out, cries intensifying once more. Taeyong’s heart plummeted into his stomach.

“O-oh? And that’s a bad thing?” Jisung nodded frantically.

“Doyoung hyung said that i-if Daddy gets m-ma-married then his n-new mate will be h-ho-horrible. It’s li-like in Cinderella.” The child dragged a hand under his nose, smearing snot across his cheek. Taeyong grimaced, pulling out the pack of tissues he kept to hand for situations like this. Although usually the kids were crying because they’d fallen over and were fine two seconds later. They were usually not having a crisis because their parent went on a date - much less a date with Taeyong.

“I’m sure that’s not true!” he assured, helping Jisung to blow his nose. “Your father’s date must be a really nice person if he likes them, right?” 

Jisung shook his head. “Nuh-uh. They just pretend. Then when they get what they want they turn into a meanie!”

“But-”

“Hyung said so a-and hyung is really smart.” 

Yeah, this wasn’t working. Time to try something else.

“Y’know Jisung, my grandparents divorced and my grandmother married another man.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm. And you know what? He was a very nice stepfather to my dad. He always helped him with his homework and played football with him and took him to the park. Does that sound bad?”

“N-no.” Jisung admitted, having quieted as he listened to his teacher’s story.

“See? Maybe all step-parents aren’t really bad. And just because your dad went on one date doesn’t mean he’s going to marry them straight away. Especially if his wonderful kids don’t like them.” He booped Jisung’s nose, causing the child to giggle. “You ready to go back inside?” he asked once the younger had shed the last of his tears. Jisung sniffled one last time before holding his head up and pushing back into the studio. Taeyong smiled fondly as he followed after him.

Ten was doing the animal dance with the kids when they returned. By the looks of it, they were pretending to be chickens but you’d never really know with this class. They usually did it only in the first couple of weeks to boost the kids creativity and get them used to expressing themselves, but it was good for when they needed a distraction. Jisung hurried to join in with his classmates, bending and flapping his arms.

“Snake!” Ten shouted, followed by a series of thuds as the children threw themselves to the floor. Taeyong snorted, approaching his coworker. 

“Thanks, Tennie.”

“Yeah, Taeyong you know I love you but you can’t give him special treatment for a fall just because you went out with his dad.” Taeyong was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to be called out like that, especially when it wasn’t even true.

“I’m not- Ten, that’s not what happened.” Ten raised a skeptical eyebrow. “He just started crying out of nowhere and when I asked what was wrong he said it was because his dad went on a date and he didn’t want an evil step-parent.” Ten’s eyes widened. “But sure, because I went on one date I’m automatically gonna lose my objectivity and not do my job right. Thanks, Tennie, it means a lot that you think so highly of me."

“Taeyong-”

“I’ll see you at home. Clearly you’d agree that I have a class to teach.” 

Ten frowned. He stormed past Taeyong, huffing an exasperated sigh. Taeyong paused for a moment to compose himself before pasting a grin on his face and turning back to the kids.

He clapped twice to get their attention. “Let’s get back to work.”

As class came to an end, Taeyong came to the realisation that he’d have to discuss what happened with Johnny. If only the other parents would give him a break this week he might be able to. Taeyong was very aware that Johnny had to collect Donghyuck fifteen minutes after Jisung’s dance class. He skirted around the line forming to speak with him and made a beeline for Johnny.

“Hey,” he smiled up at the taller male. He was still in his work suit, his tie loosened and sleeves pushed up to display strong arms. Taeyong gulped subtly (he hoped). “Do you have a minute? If not I can call you later. There, um, was an incident.”

Johnny’s brow furrowed, his lips turning down at the corners. “An incident?” Taeyong scrambled for an explanation upon hearing the worry in Johnny’s voice.

“Nobody’s hurt or anything, it’s just that Jisung was upset earlier, so.”

“Ah,” Johnny glanced at his watch. “Is this a quick conversation? It’s just-”

“You have to get Donghyuck.” Johnny slumped in… relief? Disappointment? Taeyong wasn’t sure. “I’ll call you. Or you can call me when you’re free?”

“Yeah, I’ll call once I’m home.”

“Perfect.” Taeyong waved goodbye, before turning back to the swarm that awaited him.

*

He was just opening his apartment door when his phone rang. He juggled the bag of snacks that he’d stopped for and his keys, answering the phone and pressing it between his ear and shoulder.

“Johnny!” Taeyong greeted. “You got home okay?”

“Yeah, we’re all good. Are you home yet?”

“Just coming in the door.”

“Oh! Do you want me to call back in a couple minutes?”

“No! I mean, no, now is good.” 

Taeyong strolled into the kitchen, carefully avoiding Kun’s eyes as he put his snacks in the cupboard.

“So, Jisung?” Johnny asked. “What happened?”

“We were about halfway through the lesson when he just… burst into tears. It was really random so I stopped and took him outside,” the teacher explained, making his way to his bedroom. He caught Ten staring at him, but chose to ignore him.

“That’s unlike him.”

“I thought so too. When I asked why he was crying he said it was because you went on a date,” Taeyong stated, breathing a nervous laugh. There was a pause. Then shuffling on the other end.

“Just hold on a sec, yeah? I don’t want the kids to overhear. They're notorious eavesdroppers and even worse gossips.”

“Of course.” Taeyong waited quietly, listening to the faint voices and laughter in the background. He thought he could make out Jisung’s, just about, but a high-pitched dolphin-like noise dominated.

“Okay, I think we’re good,” Johnny urged after Taeyong heard the light closing of a door. “He was crying because we went on a date?”

“Apparently Doyoung told him all step-parents are evil? He wouldn’t believe me at first when I tried to reassure him, but I told him about my step-grandfather and he seemed a little calmer.”

“Oh for fuck sake.” Taeyong could picture Johnny rubbing a hand over his face. He bit his lip as he waited for Johnny to answer. “Doyoung… he’s not exactly happy that I’ve decided to date again.”

“Oh,” Taeyong muttered, feeling small. The last thing he wanted was for Johnny’s children to be unhappy. 

“Hey, it’s not your fault. He was ten when Jisoo died, and I know it’s been seven years but he’s the first in the family to present as an omega since his mother and… he’s just… struggling a little at the moment.” Johnny sighed. “It’ll be okay though. I’ll talk to him. And to Jisung.”

“You’re sure? I… I don’t want to make them sad,” Taeyong admitted.

“No, no, Taeyong, you won’t. I’m pretty sure you’re Jisung’s favourite person in the world.”

Taeyong giggled. “Then you must have forgotten about yourself.”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure I’m still losing this one.” He joined Taeyong in laughing. “It’s gonna be fine. Are we still good for Friday?”

“If you’ll still have me.”

Johnny was silent for so long that Taeyong started to panic. “It’s probably too early to say this but, I think I’d like to have you for a long time, Taeyong.” And God if that didn’t make Taeyong’s heart flutter. He felt himself blush from head to toe as the butterflies in his stomach ran rampant.

“I’d like that a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Johnny's kids!
> 
> Uni  
> Irene & Seulgi 19 - 29th March 2001
> 
> High School  
> Krystal & Doyoung 17 \\\ Grade 11 - 1st February 2003  
> Jungwoo 16 \\\ Grade 10 - 19th February 2004
> 
> Middle School  
> Joy 14 going on 15 \\\ Grade 9 - 3rd September 2005  
> Lucas & Yeri 13 \\\ Grade 7 - 25th January 2007
> 
> Elementary School  
> Jeno & Donghyuck 10 going on 11 \\\ Grade 5 - 23rd April 2009  
> Chenle 8 going on 9 \\\ Grade 3 - 22nd November 2011  
> Jisung 7 \\\ Grade 1 - 5th February 2013
> 
> Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/tyongiefebreeze)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Will you marry Duckie’s dad?”
> 
> “I’m sorry?”
> 
> “Mark!” Sicheng exclaimed.
> 
> Minhyung’s eyes went wide in shock. “What? Duckie said abeonim went on a date but they didn’t want him to but Lee Taeyong-nim is nice! Jeno said so!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter this time around but I'm happy with it!
> 
> Sorry it took so long, university workload is massive this year but I'm enjoying writing this and I'm nearly always thinking about it lol

Laying in bed, clutching his phone tightly to his chest, Taeyong hoped Jisung would be able to believe him. He bit back tears as he thought back to the child's distress. The thought that Doyoung was resentful enough of Johnny's decision to start dating that he would upset his brother in such a way sent him over the edge. 

Streams poured down his cheeks as his body was wracked with sobs. He tightened his grip on his phone, pulling his knees up around himself. Briefly, he considered calling for Ten. This only made him cry harder as he remembered their earlier argument. 

How could Ten think he would be so biased? His own best friend! It's not like Taeyong was gagging so hard for alpha dick that he'd give said alpha's kid special treatment in some weird attempt to get into his bed faster. Was that all Ten thought of him? That he was some sort of slut? 

His stomach ached and his eyes felt raw as each thought had him bawling even louder. Vaguely, he registered a timid knock and his bedroom door slowly opening.

“Hi,” Ten muttered, easing his way into the room. Taeyong sniffled and turned over to face the wall. He heard Ten sigh as the bed dipped under the younger’s weight. A hand landed on Taeyong’s arm which he promptly ripped away. Not out of reach, but enough to get the message across. “Okay. I get that you’re mad and I don’t blame you but I’m gonna talk anyway.”

The older choked down another wail.

“I’m sorry. What I said was shitty and idiotic and I know you wouldn’t do anything like that. You’re good at your job Yongie, you are. I apologise for making out that you aren’t. I love you. You’re my best friend and I hate fighting with you so please forgive me and let me help you with the whole ‘Jisung hating you without realising it’s you he’s hating thing’.” Taeyong whimpered. “Ah, sorry.” Ten grimaced. “Bad phrasing.”

“No. That’s exactly what it is,” Taeyong blubbered. “He hates me.” With that he bawled with renewed energy. The Thai man wrinkled his nose, wincing at the volume. He lay down and curled up behind his best friend, slinging an arm around his waist.

“I’m sure if he knew it was you that Johnny is seeing he’d change his tune pretty quickly.” 

Taeyong shook his head. “You didn’t hear him Tennie. And he said it was his older brother who told him that step-parents are evil. Even if Jisung ends up being okay there’s eleven other kids to hate me.”

“Well,” Ten attempted to comfort, “I don’t think Jeno hates you either.”

"Yeah because one more makes such a difference."

"I'm not enjoying that sarcasm." Ten paused, shifted a little, tightened his grip on Taeyong. "Look, they're kids. It's just been them and their father for what six years?"

"Seven," Taeyong corrected. "Since Jisung was born."

"Seven then. They're bound to be wary and a little opposed but once they get to know you I'm sure it'll all change. You're pretty great Taeyong. And you love kids. They'd be mad not to want you. You'll be the greatest step-parent those children could ever have." 

"Sap."

"Shut the fuck up.”

Taeyong snorted, turning over in Ten’s hold to clutch onto him properly. “Do you really think they’ll like me?” 

“Oh, Yongie. I know they will.”

They lay there for a while longer, Taeyong sniveling occasionally. Kun appeared to check on them with their Spirited Away dvd. He shook the case in their direction prompting Ten out of bed to set it up in the living room. The alpha then went about making a blanket fort for them and coaxed Taeyong into it. Taeyong relaxed into the multitude of pillows on the floor, gratefully accepting the bowl of bibimbap handed to him as Ten curled into his side.

“I love you guys,” Taeyong later mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

*

Dragging himself to work after the weekend was an ordeal. He’d barely slept or ate (yes he made up with Ten but he still felt awkward after his breakdown so no way was he going anywhere near the kitchen) and had spent most of Sunday trying to re-teach himself the dances to SNSD’s discography. Ten had been working that morning, allowing Taeyong a quick trip to stock up on food. After narrowly avoiding Kun he had decided it wasn't worth the risk. He loved Kun but he was already worn out from spilling his guts to Ten the night before.

They carpooled to work in the mornings, with whoever finished earlier taking the metro back home. Taeyong, worried that the trip would be filled with awkward silence, had babbled constantly until Ten finally snapped at him.

"Taeyong! Seriously, I thought we'd sorted this. I'm sorry I judged you so harshly, it was wrong of me. Please just stop avoiding me and overcompensating like this."

"I'm not avoid-"

"Don't treat me like an idiot, Taeyong, you didn't even leave your room to piss yesterday."

"Sorry, Tennie. I was just worried," Taeyong muttered, picking at the grime gathering under his fingernails.

Ten's shoulders sagged, his grip on the steering wheel loosening. "I get that. But we need to talk about these things. You can't just leave it all to build up and boil over."

"I know. I'll work on it. Promise."

"Good. Now turn in the radio, I'm sick of your voice." 

Taeyong scoffed at the spark of hypocrisy but did as he was told, allowing the music to wash away the residual discomfort. He allowed himself to relax as Ten began dramatically singing along to the latest Taeyeon single. The younger omega nudged Taeyong as much as he could without crashing, prompting him to join in. Taeyong rolled his eyes.

They'd be okay.

*

Taeyong's first hour was free. He liked to spend it lounging in the break room. The small armchair was an amazing nap space. Apparently he wasn't the only one who thought so if the small boy curled up on it was anything to go by.

He should not be there. How did he get there? Nevermind the fact that the break room was so far away from the studios, it was also a school day. Taeyong poked his head outside the door. His hopes of seeing a parent frantically searching the corridor were quickly dashed as he looked down the barren expanse of hallway. There were only two other rooms on this floor, both offices. One belonging to Sicheng and the other to Yixing, the co-owner. Taeyong had less frequent dealings with him as he mostly taught advanced 16 to 22 year olds and was also employed at SM Entertainment as a dance teacher/choreographer. He'd taken quite a few of his students with him to the prestigious company, with some of them already propelled into stardom and others gearing up for debut. 

Yixing had a child. Could this one be his? Except, his was a girl and like, 3 years of age, so probably not.

Taeyong heard a choked off yawn behind him and whipped around. The young boy was now rising, rubbing at his eyes as he sat up. He blinked warily at Taeyong, who attempted to give a reassuring smile. The child - or maybe teenager now that Taeyong could see him properly - slowly smiled back.

"Hi," Taeyong greeted. "What's your name?" 

"Moon Minhyung," the boy responded before coughing harshly. Ah, one of Sicheng's, then. Taeyong tutted, rushing to get the boy a glass of water.

"There you go sweetie." Taeyong handed him the glass and rubbed his back soothingly. "Where's your Baba?"

"Office," Minhyung muttered. He took a sip of water and cleared his throat. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lee Taeyong. I work with your Baba."

Minhyung stared up at him slack-jawed. "Jeno said you're an omega like my Appa!" 

"Oh, um," Taeyong stuttered, wondering how to answer that.

"Markie!" Sicheng! He was saved. "We don't ask people about their designations two sentences into meeting them! It's rude."

"Sorry, Baba. Sorry Lee Taeyong-nim." Minhyung bowed so low that Taeyong thought he might fall over.

“Thank you, Minhyung. But yes, I am an omega.”

“Will you marry Duckie’s dad?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Mark!” Sicheng exclaimed.

Minhyung’s eyes went wide in shock. “What? Duckie said abeonim went on a date but they didn’t want him to but Lee Taeyong-nim is nice! Jeno said so!”

“Duckie?” Taeyong questioned.

“Donghyuck. He’s one of Johnny’s sons.” Sicheng clarified. 

“Duckie is my best friend!” Taeyong panicked a little (a lot) at this. Did Minhyung know? How did Minhyung know? Had he told Donghyuck? Would Donghyuck tell the others? Was Jisung upset again? Did Doyoung hate him? What did Johnny think?

"Umm, Taeyong-ah?" A hand moved up and down in quick succession right in front of his eyes.

Taeyong blinked in confusion, eyes trying to adjust to the fast movement so close to him. as he refocused and his eyes connected the hand to Sicheng's body he relaxed a little.

"You okay?"

"I- Sure, yeah, I'm fine." Sicheng didn't believe him. The pursed lips and crossed arms said it all. 

"Sure. Mark-yah, Johnny will date whoever he wants to date. Now stay here, Baba will be right back." He crooked a finger at Taeyong and strutted out of the room. Taeyong stumbled after him in his haste. "Sorry about Mark, he's sick and my mates couldn't get off work."

"Oh no, it's fine. He seems like a good kid."

"Yeah, he's one of the better behaved of them."

Taeyong giggled. "Only, he told me his name is Minhyung."

"Ah, yeah, it is, but he took a liking to Johnny and now he insists we call him by his English name." Taeyong didn't want to know what his face did at the mention of Johnny that had Sicheng smirking at him like that. “Seems to be happening a lot around here.” Okay now Taeyong was definitely tomato-coloured. Did Sicheng seriously just call him out like that? How the fuck was he supposed to respond? His boss snorted, shaking his head as he unlocked his office door.

They settled into Sicheng's office. The older man poured two glasses of water from the pitcher on his table, slouching back into his chair. Taeyong squirmed in his seat across the desk, unsure what was going to happen. 

His eyes rolled over to the various picture frames, various photos of the children, some portraits, some group shots, hung on the wall. Next to Sicheng's computer stood a whole family photograph and another of two men - presumably Sicheng's mates but about fifteen years younger - with the tiniest baby Taeyong had ever seen cradled between them. Taeyong wondered where Sicheng was. Had he taken the picture? But then one of them was in a hospital gown so surely someone else could have taken it for them. 

Sicheng hummed, drawing Taeyong's eyes to him. The alpha was staring wistfully at the same photograph Taeyong had focused on. He took it in his grasp, half turning it to face Taeyong.

"That's Taeil," he pointed at the man in the hospital gown, before dragging his finger across to the man with the long, white hair, "and Yuta. This is Jaehyun." Tapping twice on the baby, he smiled. "He's our eldest. I umm, missed his birth. I was in China, finishing university."

Taeyong winced in sympathy at his boss's sad smile. 

"I'm sorry you missed it."

"It's all the one now, I suppose." He shrugged. "Yuta ended up missing Guanheng's. The metro broke down and he was stuck underground for a couple of hours."

"Oh gosh, that's awful." 

"We laugh about it now. Although, Taeil is rather bitter that he didn't have the luxury of not being present for any of them." He snorted, prompting a giggle out of the omega. “Anyway, that’s not why I asked you to come in here.” Taeyong gulped at the sudden serious tone of his boss’s voice. “I was speaking to Johnny and-”

“I’m sorry, hyung! I didn’t think it would affect Jisung this much. He doesn’t even know it’s me and he’s already this upset. I calmed him down as fast as possible and Ten only had to look after my class for a few minutes! I’ve already discussed that with Ten as well and we’ve sorted things out. Plus, Johnny called me afterwards and we had a discussion about whether or not we’re still going to move forward and-”

“Taeyong! I have literally no idea what you’re talking about.” The young omega took in his boss’s furrowed brow, crossed arms, and overall bewildered state and wondered why the fuck he’d opened his mouth. He tried his best to make himself look small. Hunching his shoulders and sliding down ever so slightly in his seat.

"I, umm, well, you see-" 

"Wanna take a minute to get your story together?"

“I’d rather… not.” Sicheng raised an unimpressed brow.

“I’ll go first, and then you can tell me what’s going on.” Taeyong fidgeted in his seat. “Have you spoken any more to Johnny about Jisung moving classes?”

“Oh.” God, Taeyong was stupid. He needed to learn to listen before he spoke. “Not yet? He didn’t seem receptive of the idea of leaving my class."

"Yes, he is a big fan of yours. He talks about you all the time. I worried he might have a bit of a separation issue. His mother died not long after he was born and he sometimes latches on to adults he's in close contact with. When he was five he would cry every time Yuta left after a visit. I thought maybe he was growing out of it but apparently not."

Taeyong pouted, worried for the young boy. "Jisung has amazing ability. He is more than ready to move classes, dance-wise. I don't want him to get hurt by the move, but is it healthy to feed into his separation anxiety?"

Sicheng blew out a long breath. He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Ultimately, we can't make that decision. If Jisung wishes to remain put and Johnny agrees then there's no more we can do." The younger man's eyes filled with concern. His whole posture drooping as he wondered how best to move forward.

“He has a lot of talent. I worry that if he stays put, he won’t realise his full potential.”

Sicheng’s eyes softened. “I agree. I am considering the creation of an advanced class for that age group - which if you are amenable, you would teach - but I don’t want to make things any worse.” 

Taeyong shrugged, at a loss.

"Talk to Johnny again. Jaemin and Renjun are going over there later today so I will speak to him then."

The omega nodded, glad to have his boss’s support reinforced.

“Now, tell me what’s up.”

*

Collapsing into bed, Taeyong shot off a quick text to Johnny and let his arms fall to his sides. He had attempted to join Kun in the kitchen but the younger man had taken one look at him and sent him off to nap.

It had turned into quite a long day. One of the parents in Taeyong’s first class had brought their child in with chicken pox drawing uproar from half the parents while the other half tried to subtly edge their own children closer. Oh, how he hated anti-vaxxers. Then Mark had cried for an hour straight when Sicheng broke the news that he wouldn’t be able to visit Donghyuck with his younger siblings while sick. Finally, one of the fifteen year olds in Ten’s class broke her ankle and another had fainted at the sight. Taeyong understood. He never wanted to see another exposed bone in his life. Thankfully, Monday was the one day he and Ten finished at the same time. The younger man had taken pity on Taeyong at the sight of his haggard state and offered to drive home. Usually, they’d alternate on a Monday, with whoever drove in relaxing in the passenger seat on the return journey. Rush hour traffic twice a day was a nightmare, with any break from it granting relief.

He hadn’t been dreading having to cook when he returned home but he hadn’t been looking forward to it either. Kun was thankfully an absolute angel. All Taeyong really wanted to do at that moment was cuddle with someone. Preferably a tall alpha who smelled nice and would give him kisses. Until then, Ten would have to do.

His best friend trudged through the door after him and flopped down beside him. Immediately, he adjusted Taeyong into a more comfortable position. Lifting Taeyong's arms, Ten scooted in between them and nuzzled into Taeyong's neck.

"You're not allowed to move for the next week," the younger omega stated. Taeyong snorted as his phone buzzed just as Ten finished his command. He attempted to reach for it but his arm was caught. "I said no moving."

"It might be Johnny." Taeyong had no sooner gotten the first syllable of his date's name out than Ten was scrambling to get the phone himself. "Hey, no!" 

Pulling his arms from around Ten, Taeyong flipped over in the direction of the buzzing. Alas, Ten was not afraid to do whatever it would take.

"Ouch!" Taeyong exclaimed. He pulled his hand back to inspect it, frowning at the imprint of Ten's teeth on his palm. "You're such a dick!"

Ten, for his part, simply held the phone up in triumph. "It's Johnny," he squealed as he typed in the password. 

"What did he say?"

"He was talking to Sicheng? That sounds ominous. Oh hold on he's typing again."

"Let me see," Taeyong stuck his hand out only to quickly retract it as Ten snapped his teeth at him, eyes never leaving the phone.

"Oh! He's glad he took it well. Took what well? You better not have quit Yongie, I'll kill you in your sleep."

Taeyong scoffed. "Of course I didn't quit. I just accidentally made a vague reference to Johnny and I. Then I had to tell Sicheng hyung the whole story. But he was happy for me. Happy for us."

Ten beamed as he said the word 'us'. "Look at you! Who are you, the queen of England? Speaking in plurals already." 

"Shut up," Taeyong muttered, ducking his head and hiding in Ten's chest.

"Aww, you're so cute, Yong!" Ten jerked as the phone started vibrating in his hand. "He's calling you!"

"Ten, no!" Taeyong wrestled for the phone. No way was he letting Ten answer. For once, he came out successful. Grabbing the phone but falling off the bed onto his butt. "Hello?" he breathed, wincing as he shifted on the floor.

"Hey, you okay? You sound a bit out of breath," Johnny's voice crackled across the line.

"Ah yeah, Ten stole my phone so I was just getting it back."

Johnny snorted. "Sounds fun." Taeyong hummed. "Anyway…" 

So. Jisung was no longer in his dance class. He could deal with that. Sure, he was his favourite student but Taeyong wasn't supposed to have favourites. And this was a good thing! It was good for Jisung to be in a more advanced class, to be challenged. It just sucked a bit for Taeyong.

Ten would take good care of him. He'd still get to see him. He was dating the boy's father after all! It was for the best. The best for Jisung. If only he could convince himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mark: I met the prettiest omega at Baba's work today
> 
> Donghyuck: I am going to commit a bloody murder
> 
> Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/tyongiefebreeze)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Taeyong. Level with me. You’ve been on five, FIVE, dates and all he’s done is give you a chaste kiss on the lips. Seriously, Taeyong. Not even tongue. Are you sure about this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late, hit a massive block but am happy with how it turned out!

Being with Johnny was bliss - for the most part. Taeyong still worried greatly over the reaction of Johnny’s children and then, well…

“Seriously?” Ten’s voice was shrill, incredulous. Kun winced from where he sat next to his mate. Taeyong, across from them at the table, wasn’t faring much better.

“Yes, Ten.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“You’re overreacting. Kun, tell him he’s overreacting,” Taeyon ordered. Kun looked stricken as Ten spun on him. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best way to go.

“Taeyong. Level with me. You’ve been on five, FIVE, dates and all he’s done is give you a chaste kiss on the lips. Seriously, Taeyong. Not even tongue. Are you sure about this?”

Taeyong glared at his best friend. “Not everything is about physical intimacy, Chittaphon.” Ten glowered. That was fair, Taeyong had definitely butchered the pronunciation in his annoyance. “We've been getting to know each other. How long were you and Kun dating before he kissed you properly?”

“That’s completely different! We were sixteen!” 

“It is a bit of a different situation, Taeyong.” Great, now Kun was betraying him as well. But he supposed they had a point. That didn’t mean he was going to be happy about it. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Ten rolled his eyes.

“Stop sulking and do something about it,” Ten ordered.

Perhaps after five dates, a deeper kiss would be nice. Taeyong could concede to that point. But if that was moving too fast in Johnny’s eyes then Taeyong wouldn’t call it a dealbreaker. He was in so deep already that Johnny would have to do something really fucked up for him to leave. But maybe, maybe he should talk to him about this. No relationship would grow on miscommunication, or lack of communication altogether. He could be a grown up. He could totally talk to Johnny about this. Totally.

It had been a little over a month since they had started going on dates. They were out with each other once a week and texting or calling each other every day in between. Johnny was so easy to talk to. Even with such a large age gap, they found things in common that they could chat about for hours on end. The night before they had spent two hours planning out their dream aquarium. Taeyong was able to share his secrets with Johnny. His deepest, darkest fears that he had never confessed to anyone else, not even Ten, fit so naturally into their conversations that he felt like he must have known Johnny all his life. Surely, if he could talk to Johnny about those things, he could ask for a little bit of making out.

“Fine. I’ll talk to him.” He wouldn’t panic about Johnny leaving him because of this. He wouldn’t.

“Yay! Now, can we please go get dinner? I am starving and I want hotpot and I want it two hours ago.” Well, at least he could always count on Ten to be melodramatic.

“I would have made you hotpot, Tennie,” Kun protested.

“Of course you would have because you’re the best mate to ever exist but it’s everyone’s night off. We are going to relax and eat good food that we didn’t have to cook!”

“We?” Taeyong questioned.

“That you guys didn’t have to cook!” With that, he stood from his seat, pulling his mate with him. Taeyong rose before Ten could round the table and manhandle him out of the chair.

The restaurant was a favourite of theirs. For Kun, it was a taste of home. For Ten and Taeyong, it was good food, good value, and good company. The ahjummas knew them well, often doting on them and giving them an extra serving for no charge. Taeyong planned to bring Johnny here on their next date. Trying to have a conversation about the physical nature of their relationship (or the lack of it) would be difficult with the ahjummas floating around but Taeyong would figure it out.

They had been swapping off who organised everything - Johnny taking the odd number of dates and Taeyong taking the even ones. So far, they had been for dinner a couple of times, gone shopping together, had a cruise along the Han River, and most recently, a lovely picnic at the Olympic Park. While all very enjoyable, the latest had most definitely been Taeyong’s favourite. He smiled as his mind’s eye projected the image of Johnny, completely relaxed, streaks of sunlight gracing his face. By God, was that man beautiful.

“Um, Earth to Taeyong? Your food is going cold,” Ten deadpanned. 

Flustered, Taeyong jerked his eyes open and scrambled for his chopsticks.

“Thinking about someone special?” Kun teased. Taeyong threw the alpha a scathing look but couldn't hold it. Before long he had descended into giggles, his companions following. 

Taeyong loved nights like these. Nights where he could ignore all his responsibilities and just bask in the moment. Having a meal with his two best friends and just enough soju to get him tipsy was the second best way he could think of to spend his time these days. He was offering no points for guessing what came in first place.

*

“It’s my turn!”

“No it’s not! You already had a go!”

“Oh my gosh, shut up already.”

“No!” The twin terrors screamed, turning on their older brother.

“Jungwoo hyung, tell Jeno that it’s my turn now,” Donghyuck pleaded, staring up at Jungwoo with his best, saddest puppy eyes.

“No, Jungwoo hyung, tell Donghyuck it’s my turn.”

Jungwoo sighed. How he was expected to get his homework done when his little brothers were yelling all day he didn’t know. At least, that’s the excuse he’d give his father for not having it finished. He should probably clear all the apps in that literally memory section thing that remembers what things you open and in what order on your phone.

“If anything, it’s Chenle’s turn. You two have been hogging it since you got home.” Chenle let out a delighted shriek at this, launching himself towards the controller in Jeno’s hands. Jeno’s eyes widened and he jerked out of the way. Chenle crashed to the floor with a tiny “oof”. Jungwoo held his breath as he waited for the inevitable bout of tears. He watched as his brother pushed himself up (he’s learned that rushing over only brings the sobs about a whole lot faster). Chenle glanced up, confusion at his predicament plastered across his face. He took one look at Jeno’s panicked, guilty expression and burst into tears. Jungwoo slammed his face into his hands. He took a moment to compose himself and then scooped Chenle up from the floor.

A series of bangs came from the hallway before the door flew open. Krystal rushed over and took Chenle from Jungwoo’s arms. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail but there were strands hanging down over her face from where she’d been pulling at it. She was studying constantly these days. It wasn’t even that she cared all that much about school but Dad has promised that if she did well in her exams that she could transfer to a school in Chicago come September. Krystal had been pestering their father for years about going overseas for a year - “just a year, Daddy, please” - prompted by her twin’s best friend going to Connecticut for a while when they were kids. Jungwoo was surprised their dad was giving in; he’d been against it for so long. He suspected their grandparents had talked him into it. They were getting older now and Jungwoo thought maybe Dad wanted her to report back to him about how they were doing.

“What happened?” Krystal demanded.

“He fell!” Donghyuck protested, stepping in front of his twin. As much as they argued, Donghyuck was always the first to protect his slightly-older brother. Krystal scowled at him.

“What happened?” she asked once more, making direct eye contact with Jungwoo. Chenle buried his face in Krystal’s neck, sniffling all the while.

“Jeno was holding the controller and when Chenle went to get it Jeno moved so Chenle fell,” Jungwoo explained.

“Oh my poor baby, are you hurt?” Krystal cooed. Chenle shook his head but cuddled closer nonetheless. Jungwoo saw tears welling up in Jeno’s eyes but couldn’t react fast enough.

“I didn’t mean to,” the older twin wailed. “It was an accident.” 

Donghyuck pulled Jeno into a hug, making sure to glare at Krystal and Jungwoo from where his eyes just peeked above Jeno’s shoulder. Jungwoo resisted the urge to coo at his brother’s anger lest he throw a full tantrum.

“It’s okay, Jeno-yah,” Krystal assured. “He’s not hurt, see.” Jeno looked cautiously up to his younger brother. Chenle gave a small wave from where he was perched on Krystal’s hip. “How about you say sorry and give him a big hug?” 

Jeno nodded, scrambling forward. “Sorry, Lele.”

“S’okay,” Chenle muttered as Krystal lowered him. His feet had no sooner touched the floor than Jeno was pulling him into an embrace. Donghyuck promptly skipped forward, not one to be left out. 

“Now,” Krystal began as they parted. “Time to do homework.” The younger three groaned, trudging out of the room. “You too, Jungwoo-yah.”

“Ugh.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on.” 

Jungwoo followed his younger siblings out of the room, Krystal bringing up the rear. They made their way to the kitchen - the designated homework spot. Seulgi was perched on the countertop when they entered, Irene cutting up some chicken breasts beside her. 

“You’re like the opposite of ducklings,” Seulgi commented as they waddled in. They had subconsciously ordered themselves from youngest to oldest. Jungwoo snorted, settling at the table. 

They sat in age order, although it was more structured, purposeful. Irene’s assigned seat was to the left of what used to be their mother’s seat on one end of the table, and Seulgi’s to the right. It continued like that, from left to right in age order with Chenle on their father’s left and Jisung at his right side.

The table had been commissioned - families of fourteen weren’t exactly common - just before Jeno and Donghyuck were born. Their mother had loved to see them all huddled around the table, the eldest working on their homework while the younger kids played around them. It had become tradition to land themselves there and chip away at their work while their dad cooked the dinner, all waiting for their mom to get home. 

Nowadays, they still did their homework at the table (except Doyoung and Krystal), but it was their sisters cooking as they all waited for Dad to arrive.

Dad didn’t like hagwons. In fact, he detested them. He didn’t think it was right for children to have to study all day. Jungwoo figured it was his American upbringing. He really didn’t want any of his own kids going to a hagwon but Doyoung insisted that he be allowed to go. Doyoung wanted to be a doctor. It had become his ambition after their mother’s death and he was certain he needed to be in a hagwon if he was to achieve his goal. Jungwoo didn’t get it. Irene had gotten into veterinary medicine without one and Doyoung was the smartest of them all. After many, many arguments, Dad had agreed to let him go to a hagwon when he started high school. 

Jungwoo took his usual seat at the table and began pulling out the books he needed when the front door flew open and crashed into the wall before being slammed with just as much force. He rushed out of his seat and just caught a glimpse of Doyoung storming up the stairs. Confused, he made to follow his older brother when there was a frantic knock on the now sealed door. Pivoting, he pulled it open and was greeted with Jaehyun, looking dishevelled and smelling worried.

Jaehyun was Jungwoo’s age but he was Doyoung’s best friend. They were stuck together like glue since they were babies. It was very rare for them to fight - as Jungwoo presumed was happening right now - and even more rare that it would be so bad that Doyoung would be slamming doors. But here Jaehyun was, looking desperate at their door, while his best friend sulked upstairs.

“I need to talk to him,” Jaehyun stated, breathing heavily. “Please.”

Jungwoo pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know Jaehyun-ah, he seemed pretty upset.”

“That’s why I need to talk to him, Jungwoo-yah, come on. Please let me in so I can fix it,” the slightly older boy pleaded.

“You know I would but I don’t know if it’s such a good idea when he’s this mad. Plus, he could genuinely have a reason not to want to look at you at the moment. I wasn’t there, I’m gonna err on the side of caution.”

“Jungwoo-yah,” Jaehyun whined. Jungwoo blinked in shock. Ever since Jaehyun and he had presented, the older alpha had been extremely reluctant to show any vulnerability. For him to be so open at this moment was so odd to Jungwoo that his resolve almost faltered. Almost. He began to shut the door. “Jungwoo-yah! We were just talking about your dad dating again and I said something stupid. Please, just let me talk to him.” Jungwoo paused, door halfway shut.

“I’m listening.”

Jaehyun took a deep breath, calming down a little. “I just suggested - like an idiot - that maybe it’s not such a bad thing, y’know, that your dad is getting back out there. Doie wasn’t too happy with me.”

Jungwoo snorted. That was an understatement. “No shit. Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Jungwoo-yah, please. We still have hagwon later and he’ll be more mad if I make him miss it.”

“Ugh, fine, but if you make him more upset I’ll kill you,” Jungwoo threatened, stepping out of the way. Jaehyun zoomed past him and up the stairs. He sighed and went back to the kitchen to do his homework. Maybe one day his older brother would learn to be a little less dramatic. Maybe.

*

“Hey kiddo,” Johnny greeted as Jisung leapt into his arms. His youngest had been attending dance classes with his new teacher - Ten - for a couple weeks now on what used to be Johnny’s only day off from collecting and dropping to and from activities. He didn’t mind though, his son loved to dance and that was what was important. “How was class?” The little boy shrugged, playing with his father’s hair. Johnny furrowed his brow. Jisung wasn’t usually one to be so quiet. “What’s up lil man?”

“Nothing,” Jisung muttered.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing,” Johnny protested. The child threw his arms around his father’s neck and cuddled as close as he could. “Oh, Jisungie, what’s wrong baby?” He brought a hand up to rub his son’s back lightly.

“Not a baby.”

“Of course not, but you’re my baby, hmm?” Jisung snuffled in protest.

He wiggled in Johnny's arms, kicking his feet to be let down. Johnny huffed a laugh and lowered his youngest gently to the floor. 

Jisung stared up at him imploring, bottom lip jutting out into the slightest pout. "Home?" he asked. 

"Sure. You have everything?"

Jisung nodded, then shook his head and ran off. Johnny should be used to this really. His kids weren't exactly… organised. 'Wonder where they got that from?', he smiled as he heard his mother's teasing in his head. Pestering her favourite (only) son was her most loved activity - one he had inherited, making sure to tease his own children every time the slightest opportunity presented itself.

"I'm back!" Jisung proclaimed, running up to Johnny, his little backpack bouncing with every step. It was Doyoung's first backpack and had been passed down to his siblings when he had grown out of it, as had his sisters'. Johnny's eldest son had insisted he couldn't use Seulgi's bag (Krystal having claimed Irene's) as it wasn't "cool enough, Daddy". Johnny failed to see how a cartoon train was cooler than stars but as a father of ten he wasn't really in the mood for arguing. It was just as well. They needed the extra bag as more and more of them started school. Johnny found it hard to believe that this was the last time this bag would be his child's first. His last child to start school. He was getting old. He lifted Jisung once more with ease. Well, older.

Johnny walked to his car with Jisung cuddled up against him. His son was definitely getting too big for this, but Johnny was going to draw out babying his baby for as long as he could. His kids were growing up too fast. 

He strapped Jisung in and settled into his own seat. The drive home was quick. Johnny had picked this studio on account of Sicheng but the proximity to his house was something he was eternally grateful for.

"Daddy?" Jisung called as they pulled into the driveway.

"Yeah, kiddo?" 

Jisung shuffled around in his seat. "Do you have to go on a date tonight?"

"Is this why you were upset after class?" Johnny cringed internally as Jisung nodded. "Baby, why don't you want Daddy to go on a date?"

"Doie-hyung said-"

Johnny sighed. "Jisungie, I thought we talked about this. Doyoung was being silly. Do you remember what Teacher Taeyong told you?" Jisung nodded shyly. "And do you believe Daddy and Teacher Taeyong?" He nodded with more conviction. Johnny smiled. "That's good, baby, I'm glad. Wanna go inside?"

"Yes please."

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Johnny hopped out of the car and followed his littlest son as he skipped up the driveway. Jisung had just reached their front door when it flew open. Doyoung strolled out looking sullen, with Jaehyun following behind nervously.

That was odd. What were they doing here? Johnny just about saw his eldest son on weekdays with all the extra study he was doing. And Jaehyun being even a little bit cautious around him? Totally not normal.

"Doie hyung!" Jisung exclaimed, clutching his older brother's leg. Doyoung smiled briefly as he looked down but quickly went back to frowning. 

"I have to go, Jisung-ah." He ruffled the child's hair and continued walking. 

“Hey, kiddo,” Johnny called. “What are you doing home so early?”

“Just had to get something,” Doyoung muttered. Johnny frowned as his eldest son got closer. His eyes were puffy and red. He stood up straighter and rushed to his son's side. Doyoung batted his father's hands away as Johnny patted at him fretfully. "Oh my God, I'm fine, Dad." 

"You were crying. Why were you crying?" Doyoung's cheeks heated up as he glared daggers at his father. Johnny figured he could live with the embarrassment.

"Um, that was my fault," Jaehyun piped up. "I was being stupid and Doie got upset." Johnny raised an unimpressed brow. The lack of horrific had long since phased him, but this alpha making his baby boy cry? Not happening. Even if he had known him since before he was born.

Doyoung scoffed at Johnny's expression. "It's fine, Dad. We sorted it already. You don't need to go into full alpha mode.”

Johnny sighed in annoyance but listened to his son. Not, of course, without one last glare at a withering Jaehyun. “Do you want me to drop you off?” Johnny offered. “I just have to change before we go so-”

“No,” Doyoung interrupted. “It’s fine, we can walk. We wouldn’t want you to be late for your date, now would we?”

“Doyoung,” Johnny warned. “We’ve talked about passive aggression.” 

Doyoung rolled his eyes and grabbed Jaehyun’s wrist. “Come on, we need to go.”

“Doyoung-”

“I’ll see you later, Dad. Have fun.”

Johnny blew out an exasperated breath, turning to head into the house. Jisung stared up at him, eyes wide. 

“Daddy? Is Doie hyung sad?”

“He’s a little bit sad Jisungie,” Johnny confirmed. “He’ll be okay though.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, kiddo. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/tyongiefebreeze)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong took a deep breath to steal himself. "I'd like to have sex with you," he announced. Johnny froze. "I mean, only if that's something that you would also like. We don't have to. I'm not in this for the sex but I just thought it would be nice. Maybe just more kisses or some cuddling or-" 
> 
> "I'd like to have sex with you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides because this is soooooo late*
> 
> Also I've upped the rating a little lol

“Hey,” Johnny greeted. “Am I late?”

Taeyong shook his head. “No, you’re fine. I just got here early.” He rocked back on his heels. “You look really, really great.”

Johnny smiled. “Yeah? You look amazing. Cold, but amazing.” Taeyong huffed a laugh. “Come on, let’s get you inside and warmed up.”

Taeyong followed Johnny through the door, taking the opportunity to fully appreciate his date. It had become clear to Taeyong over the past few weeks that Johnny took great pride in his appearance. He could tell just how much thought the older man put into his outfits, even if he managed to make it look effortless. Everything he wore suited him extremely well, hugging him in all the right places, making him look all soft but still commanding. Taeyong could not get enough.

The restaurant was only half full, giving Taeyong a boost of confidence to discuss certain things with Johnny. He had been having doubts his whole trip over and during his brief wait outside for his date to arrive. The only thing that kept him persevering was the chance of facing Ten's wrath upon returning home should he say nothing. Seeing Johnny was enough to make him decide the talk was worth it, but that didn't mean he was going to do it with gusto. Now, at least, he could speak his mind a bit better, when there were less people to overhear.

They ordered quickly (Taeyong keen to avoid any questions the aunties surely had for him), Taeyong having shared his many recommendations. He pointed out each of his favourites excitedly, eyes shining with glee as he spoke. Johnny, it seemed, couldn't help but stare adoringly at him. Every time Taeyong glanced up to look at his date he quickly had to duck his head back down as a blush threatened to overtake his features. No one had ever looked at him like that before. He could get used to this.

"How was your week?" Taeyong questioned. He might be confident now but he wasn't just going to dive in and ask Johnny to have sex with him immediately.

"Good. Work was busy. One of our interns dropped out of college and therefore out of placement with us so there was a bit of slack to be picked up. Nothing we couldn’t handle but it kinda sucked to be moving people around and reassigning things at the last minute.”

“The intern didn’t give you any notice?” Taeyong asked, appalled.

“Nah, nothing. He had been complaining about the course load for a couple weeks but he never even hinted that he might up and leave.”

“That was kinda sucky of him.”

“Yeah, I mean he was obviously stressed but a little warning - even like 24 hours - would have been helpful.” 

Taeyong hummed sympathetically. “How are the kids?”

Johnny smiled as his date mentioned his children. It made Taeyong smile too, to see how happy Johnny was when he could talk about his children and especially so when Taeyong asked first. He wondered if Johnny had negative experiences in the past when it came to romantic partners’ opinions of his children. Asking how they were was really just the bare minimum.

“They’re great,” Johnny stated. “Donghyuck’s soccer team had a blitz at the weekend and they won a trophy! Irene received a perfect score on her first exam so we went for dinner to celebrate. You would not believe how hard it is to get a last minute reservation for thirteen people.” Taeyong giggled, imaging Johnny frantically calling lots of restaurants to try and book a table for him and his brood. “I’m pretty sure Doyoung had a fight with his best friend, though.”

“Oh?” Taeyong questioned, lips quickly turning down into a frown. 

“Yeah, I got home the other day and they came out of the house together but they seemed off and Doyoung had definitely been crying.”

“Oh that…” Taeyong struggled to find the right words, “That’s really awful.” He paused. “I had a fight with Ten a few weeks ago and it really sucked. We made up pretty quickly but it was really odd being upset and not being able to talk to my best friend about it, y'know?”

Johnny nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I don’t like seeing him like that - or any of them for that matter. They seem to have fixed things up but I might ask him about it later. The last thing I want is him thinking he can’t come to me about things like this.” Gosh, he was such a good father, Taeyong thought. “I mean, of course, he always has his siblings to talk to but it’s nice to know what’s going on in their lives.”

“You’re doing a really good job, Johnny,” Taeyong assured as a somewhat despondent look had overtaken his date’s features. “Trust me. My dad, like, never asked how I was getting on with my friends or at school, so you’re already doing better than him.”

Johnny’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean to-”

“No! You didn’t. It’s fine. I’m, like, mostly moved on from all that, so, it’s not a big deal.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” Taeyong reassured, smiling softly.

"Alright, enough about me. How was your week?" 

"Ah, the usual. Ten was being bothersome which is far from new." Johnny snorted. "Work has been fun. We have to start preparing for the next recital soon which I'm kinda not looking forward to because everyone gets so stressed but the little costumes and how cute everyone looks make it worth it in the end."

They quieted as their food arrived, Johnny curious as to Taeyong's love for the restaurant and Taeyong excited to share one of his favourite places with his date. Taeyong grinned in delight at Johnny's expression when the flavours hit his tongue. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he looked as though he had just seen God. 

"Good?" Taeyong questioned. Johnny simply moaned in answer as he took another bite. That wasn't sexy at all. Nope. Taeyong's cock definitely did not jerk a little at the sound. He definitely did not get a little wet. Everything was completely ordinary. Although…

"So." Taeyong decided it was time to take the plunge. "This is um, well, it's kinda random but I've really enjoyed all our dates and I really like you-"

"Are you breaking up with me?" Johnny asked, looking half afraid.

"What? No! Oh my gosh I'm not saying this right at all." Taeyong let his face fall into his hands. 

"Hey, it's okay," Johnny soothed, reaching across the table to rub Taeyong's shoulder. "Take your time."

Taeyong took a deep breath to steal himself. "I'd like to have sex with you," he announced. Johnny froze. "I mean, only if that's something that you would also like. We don't have to. I'm not in this for the sex but I just thought it would be nice. Maybe just more kisses or some cuddling or-" 

"I'd like to have sex with you too."

"We could maybe just- Wait. You would?" Taeyong's eyes widened as he looked up at Johnny in awe, noticing a hint of arousal presenting through the older man's scent.

"It's like you don't even know how beautiful you are." Johnny seemed genuinely dumb struck at Taeyong's shock. He blushed heavily under his date's gaze. Johnny gave him a reassuring grin as he said "It won't be tonight, I'm afraid. Seulgi and Irene are put with some college friends and Krystal only agreed to babysit if she could go to a party after."

"Um, I know we usually take turns planning but Kun has a work thing that he and Ten are going to next Friday night if you wanted to… come over," Taeyong carefully suggested. "We could order some food, watch a movie, and see where things go from there."

Johnny nodded. "I'd like that." 

Taeyong felt as though a weight had been lifted from him. He tried not to show just how relieved he was at how well this had gone. No doubt Johnny could smell it on him anyway. 

"I'm looking forward to it."

When Johnny dropped him home that night his lips lingered on Taeyong's a little longer than usual.

*

“I need a favour.”

“Why, hello there, Johnny, my best friend who I’ve known for over 20 years, who has seen me at my worst and who I have pulled from the depths of depression, who would never greet me with anything but genuine love and affec-”

“Oh my God. Hi Yuta, how are you? How’s your family? I need a favour.”

“I suppose that’ll do.” Johnny glared at his best friend. “Okay, what’s up?” 

“Any chance you’re up for hosting a sleepover this Friday?”

“How many? Don’t say Donghyuck. Or Chenle. I can only deal with so much energy.”

“Yuta,” Johnny whined.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll have to talk to Illie and Sichengie first though. But seriously, how many?”

“Four? The youngest. Please?”

Yuta opened his mouth, a look of defeat taking over his features before he suddenly stopped. He closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

Johnny bit his lip, looking away. 

“John. Suh Youngho. Come on. What’s up?”

“I have a date.”

Yuta smiled. “And?”

“And?”

“You’re telling me you have eight other kids and no babysitter?” Yuta asked incredulously.

“Well, Irene and Seulgi will probably be out with their college friends and I might be… having a sleepover of my own,” Johnny confessed.

“Ah, I see. Sure, we’ll take them. I mean, I still have to talk to my mates but I’ll get them to agree.”

“Thank you so much, I owe you one.”

“Of course, we can’t have you missing out on getting your knot wet.” Johnny breathed through the fond exasperation telling him to hit the younger alpha.

“I hate you.”

“Daddy!” An affronted voice shouted from behind the two. “Daddy, you’re not supposed to say you hate people!” Johnny’s son stomped around to face him. He looked so cute with his arms crossed as he glared up at Johnny. Moments like these had to be savoured. There was only a few years to go before his son was a teenager and didn’t want to be seen with him.

“You’re right, Chenle-yah,” Johnny agreed, trying desperately to maintain a straight face. “We shouldn’t say things like that because it will hurt people’s feelings.” He turned to his best friend. “I’m sorry, Yuta.” Johnny bowed a little to appease his son.wed to keep up the act for his son.

Chenle nodded solemnly. "You did well, Dad." Yuta snorted. Johnny thrust an elbow into his best friend's side.

"Thank you Lele. Ready to go?"

"Yup!"

"Did you say bye to Yangyang-ah?" Chenle's eyes widened as he spun around and ran back towards the stage. He threw his arms around his friend as he skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Bye Yangyang hyung, gotta go!"

"Bye Lele!" Yangyang called at Chenle's retreating figure. 

Chenle panted heavily as he returned to his father's side. He silently raised his arms.

"Lele you're too big to carry. Dad will throw his back out," Johnny protested.

"But I'm tired," Chenle half screeched.

"But you're nine years old," Johnny muttered under his breath. "How about I don't carry you and you can come to Baskin Robbins with me on Saturday to collect your sisters' birthday cake?"

Chenle bounced with excitement, supposed exhaustion forgotten. "Okay! Bye ahjussi!" He waved at Yuta and ran off in the direction of the exit. Johnny shook his head fondly as he followed his second youngest. 

"Have fun Friday night!" Yuta called after him. Johnny flipped him off without even turning around.

*

Friday night. Finally. Taeyong had spent the entire week anticipating the night’s arrival. Every night leading up to it he had run into Kun and Ten’s room in multiple different outfits wondering if they achieved the “comfortable but still sexy but not too sexy” vibe he was going for. Ten eventually followed Taeyong back to his room during one of his numerous changes. He had pulled Taeyong’s most tight fitting pair of leggings and an oversized sweater out of the closet and had thrown them at Taeyong’s face.

“Taeyong, I love you, I do. But if you walk in when I’m trying to seduce my mate once more, I swear I will kill you.”

Yeah, Taeyong wasn't very inclined to interrupt them after that. It wasn’t so much the threat of murder as it was his reluctance to see his best friends going at it. He’d probably need eye bleach after.

In fairness to Ten, his suggestion had been perfect. The leggings hugged Taeyong in all the right places. His sweater hung low, leaving his collarbone exposed. Sure it covered his ass, but it wasn't like there was much to see in that region in the first place.

Taeyong pulled the clothes on, artfully styling them so they sat exactly where he wanted them to. He pulled on his slippers to complete the look and made his way to the living room to wait. Ten gushed from the open door to the apartment.

"Oh Taeyongie you look so cute! Get that dick." 

"Oh my God." How was Taeyong friends with this guy?

"Tennie we're late." Kun popped his head back into the apartment.

"Fashionably so," Ten attested.

"Bye, Taeyong. Have fun!" Kun called, winking and grabbing Ten to pull him out the door. 

"You're just as bad as your mate!" Taeyong shouted after him. He pointedly ignored the cackling that followed. Selective hearing, his mother called it. Usually referring to his ability to overhear everything he wasn't supposed to know and experience a sudden bout of hearing loss when he was told to do something.

Taeyong closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. His heart rate had picked up considerably once the door closed behind his friends. The anticipation was killing him. He fussed with the setup of the room to keep himself distracted, moving picture frames, succulents, the little vases Kun liked so much around the room. After his third time swapping the positioning of the couch cushions, the buzzer finally went off.

"Here we go," he whispered to himself. "Hey," he called down through the intercom.

"Hey," Johnny answered. Taeyong buzzed him in and waited by the door for him to arrive.

"Hey," he greeted as he opened the door. 

"Hey," Johnny replied. "I think we already had this conversation." Taeyong snorted.

"Come through. I left some slippers here for you. Hopefully they fit." 

"They're perfect," Johnny assured as he slipped his feet into them.

Taeyong led his date to the sofa, settling on it and patting the space next to him invitingly. He handed Johnny a few slips of paper.

"What's this?" Johnny asked.

"Takeout menus. I thought we'd order in."

Johnny smiled, quickly leafing through the different pamphlets. "Chicken and beer?"

"A man after my own heart."

After scrolling through Netflix for ten minutes they eventually settled on Brooklyn 99. They had both seen it through before but Taeyong was always down for a rewatch. It comforted him a little, that it was a safe choice. He knew Johnny liked it already. He could relax and just enjoy without wondering if the alpha was bored or uninterested. He shifted little by little getting closer to Johnny as the episode played. By the time the second episode had started he was fully settled against Johnny’s side, the older man’s arm across his shoulders.

Their food arrived too soon if you asked Taeyong. He had just gotten comfortable in the solace of Johnny’s warmth when he had to extricate himself to answer the door. Normally he would rather die than let anyone eat on a white couch - Ten was extremely likely to spill something, and knowing his luck it would be something that stains - but he could make an exception for this. Especially when Johnny immediately pulled him back into his side once he had gotten everything set up. Taeyong hid a delighted smile behind his hand before digging into the fried chicken.

The remnants of the demolished meal were laid out on the coffee table. Netflix was droning away dutifully. Taeyong’s attention was far away from these things. His mind was filled with the hand steadily crawling its way up his thigh. He felt his breath hitch as the hand squeezed gently.

“You good?” Johnny asked. Taeyong hummed, nodding, afraid his voice would betray him (though he was certain his scent must have already done so). He turned his head to meet Johnny’s eyes. Fuck if Johnny’s pupils were this blown Taeyong didn’t want to know what his own looked like.

“My,” he paused, licked his lips, tried again. “My bedroom is close.” Johnny’s scent spiked at this.

“Yeah? You sure?” Taeyong nodded his head vigorously, eyes flicking down to Johnny’s lips and back up.

“Christ,” Johnny muttered, springing up and pulling Taeyong with him. He cupped the omega’s jaw and met his lips. He pushed lightly at first but soon his tongue was brushing against Taeyong’s lower lip. He didn’t hesitate to open his mouth to allow him entrance. Johnny moaned against him, grabbing his ass and pulling him up to wrap his legs around Johnny’s waist. “Which room?” Johnny questioned, barely pulling back.

“On the right,” Taeyong answered. Johnny sealed their mouths together again, walking Taeyong backwards until his back hit his bedroom door. He fumbled to get to the handle and push it open, almost falling in the door when he finally succeeded.

Johnny laid him on the bed gently. He kneeled and stared down at Taeyong, sprawled out and breathless.

“Come here,” Taeyong protested, attempting to catch a hold of the alpha’s shirt and pull him down. He smelled so good. It overwhelmed Taeyong’s senses until all that was running through his brain was _knotmeknotmeknotme_. Johnny just chuckled, and began slowly unbuttoning his shirt. 

Taeyong exhaled shakily as the alpha’s chest was revealed, reaching out to touch once more. Johnny caught his wrist, pinning it to the pillow above his head.

“Not just yet, baby.” The omega whimpered. Johnny pushed closer and mouthed at Taeyong's jawline. Still clutching the omega's wrist, he moved down along his neck, nosing over Taeyong's scent glands. He licked along them without warning. Taeyong could feel the slick pooling in his underwear. Johnny bit and sucked at the junction of the younger man's neck, drawing moan after moan out of him.

"Johnny, please, more," Taeyong begged.

"Little impatient, are we?" Johnny teased. He chuckled, leaning back to fully remove his shirt. He then gripped the hem of Taeyong's sweater. Taeyong scrambled to help. Pulling the sweater swiftly up and over his head. He allowed Johnny to throw it across the room, sitting up to meet his lips and draw him back down.

Their mouths moved slowly against each other, their impatience becoming more and more obvious with each flick of tongue. Just as Taeyong reached for Johnny's belt an ear splitting trilling rang through the moon. Taeyong startled at the sudden noise. 

"Ah, sorry. My phone," Johnny apologised.

"Do you need to get it?" 

"Nah it's fine. The younger kids are with Yuta and the older one's know to call him if they need anything and whoever else is calling isn't as important as you."

Taeyong flushed as Johnny pressed a light kiss on his nose. The alpha slipped his phone from his back pocket and placed it on the bedside table.

"Now. Where were we?"

Johnny smirked, opening his belt buckle as Taeyong panted underneath him. His cock was straining against his jeans. Judging by the size if the bulge Taeyong was about to be absolutely wrecked. He whined, hips stuttering upward without his permission. 

"Alright there baby?" 

Taeyong couldn't find the words to convey what he was feeling. Well, he could, but the continuous string of _knotmeknotme_ sounded just a little too desperate. 

"I…" Another loud ringtone cut through the room. "Oh, that's me this time."

"Ignore it," Johnny said, putting his hands under the omega's thighs and pushing them up ever so slightly.

"It's… it's Sicheng's ringtone. It might be important," Taeyong protested. He wiggled out of Johnny's grasp, the alpha leaning back so he was sat on his own feet. 

"Sicheng hyung," Taeyong gasped out.

"Hey, sorry, is Johnny there?" Sicheng asked. Taeyong could hear a screeching cry in the background.

"Yeah he's right here." He turned back to Johnny. "Sicheng," he said, handing over the phone.

"What's up?" Johnny asked. Taeyong could tell the exact moment he heard the cry as his eyes widened in shock. Within a split second he had jumped up off the bed. Taeyong sat up and stared in worry. "I'm on my way, tell him I'm on my way."

Johnny hung up and buckled his belt back up.

"Taeyong, I'm so sorry, I have to go."

"Is everything okay? What happened?"

"Donghyuck and Mark got into a fight and Mark pushed him and they think Hyuck's arm is broken," Johnny explained as he buttoned his shirt back up. "I'm sorry but I have to go."

"Of course. I hope he's okay."

"Yeah, me too." Johnny took a deep breath and blinked rapidly.

"Johnny?" Taeyong stood up, cautiously approaching the alpha. 

"Ah, God." It seemed he couldn't hold back any more and a few tears spilled over. Taeyong gasped, quick to embrace the alpha. "He'll be okay," Taeyong assured.

Johnny hummed in agreement. He pressed a light kiss to Taeyong's head. "I really have to go."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." 

"I'll make it up to you."

"I'm sure you will." Johnny snorted, giving him another peck before pulling back. "Let me know how he is?"

"It will be late before I know." 

"Still." 

"Yeah okay. I'll text if it's too late." Taeyong agreed. He took Johnny by the hand and led him to the door. The alpha slipped on his shoes. "I'll see you." 

"I'll call you tomorrow." Johnny smiled. He waved as he left, Taeyong waving back from the doorway. He stood there, still shirtless, until Johnny was safely in the elevator. When he could no longer see him he turned and went back to his bedroom.

He threw himself onto the bed, inhaling the deep alpha musk that Johnny left behind. His dick was still half hard in his pants. Sighing, he pushed his hand under the waistband and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Johnny. My gift to you is blue balls.
> 
> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/tyongiefebreeze)


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